For decades, Marseille trailed an unsavory reputation as a dirty, chaotic city practically synonymous with the French Connection. But this 2,600-year-old metropolis has been cleaning up its act and is suddenly stylish— yet has lost none of its soul. By Amy Serafin

Terraces at the newly renovated Sofitel Hotel offer sparkling views of the Vieux Port. Cosmopolitan Marseille feels more like a collection of villages than a major metropolis. Clockwise from top left: The ethnically diverse Cours Julien neighborhood; a fisherman reeling in his nets; an aerial view of the picturesque Panier; a North African restaurant in Cours Julien; the Capucins market, known for its Mediterranean specialties.

rest of France,” explains François Tonneau, journalist at the local newspaper La . That attitude started to change following the 1995 election of the current mayor, Jean-Claude Gaudin. Born and bred in Marseille, Gaudin is also a member of the Senate and close to the movers and shakers in Paris. He has used his office to garner state and regional support for local projects and to attract private invest- ment, convincing companies to stay while encouraging new ones to move in, notably hi-tech industries such as telecommunications.

Visitors get a sense of this new Marseille the moment they arrive at the Saint Charles train station. Dating from the 19th century, it has been renovated and expanded, becoming a sleek and airy termi- , nus for the TGV Med that links Paris to this sun-kissed city just in TGV the hurtles past white time for lunch. When the line was inaugurated in 2001, the impact rock and scrubby greenery beneath an was immediate: The distance between the two cities felt like a day impossibly blue sky, enters a tunnel under trip, and residents of both started jumping on the train without a the mountains and rockets out the other second thought. At the same time, low-cost airlines profiting from Europe’s Open end to a vision of the sparkling blue Skies treaty linked Marseille to northern Europe for the price of a Mediterranean and the crazy patchwork bowl of , and a new terminal for those flights, MP2, of rooftops that is Marseille. opened at the end of 2006. Simultaneously, city tourism officials started courting the cruise ship business, increasing passenger traffic Massalia, as the Greeks called it, has all from 19,000 in the mid 1990s to 440,000 today. the gritty charm of a port city, and a Latin All of these factors have helped boost the number of visitors from 2.7 one to boot. Cradled between the moun- million to 4 million during the past decade. Construction is under way to add 1,600 hotel rooms to a city that was unprepared for such sudden tains and the Med, it’s the country’s popularity. In a sign of the times, the number of four-star rooms will second-largest metropolis, a sprawling double, the Sofitel has just spent €7 million on a luxurious makeover, beast with a surface area two and a half and in 2011, the city is slated to get its first palace hotel, set in the historic Hôtel Dieu overlooking the Vieux Port. times that of Paris but a population of fewer than a million. Through- Never known as a gastronomic capital, Marseille now boasts a out the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the gateway to the French burgeoning restaurant scene, attracting visitors with young, creative colonial empire, booming with maritime trade and industrial growth. chefs such as Arnaud de Grammont at Le Café des Epices as well as But the loss of France’s colonies and the activity they generated established names such as Gérald Passédat, who inherited Le Petit ushered in decades of economic decline. Absorbing massive immigra- from his father and grandfather. This year, Passédat unveiled a tion from the former North African colonies put an enormous strain stunning renovation of his seaside restaurant—and became the only on the city, which was then hit by the 1970s oil shocks and ensuing Michelin three-star in Provence. recession. Marseille became plagued by corruption and mismanage- All of this has taken place against the backdrop of Euroméditer- ment, and by the 1980s, unemployment was a dizzying 25 percent. ranée, the largest urban renovation project in Europe. Launched That figure now stands at 12 percent, a reversal emblematic of the in 1995, it has involved clearing out decrepit and abandoned areas dramatic changes that have swept over this city in recent years. Many to make way for new offices, residences and other buildings while observers attribute the turnabout to sheer political will, a decision by renovating structures such as the Saint Charles station. The current the powers that be that enough was enough. phase, by far the most exciting, is revolutionizing the waterfront, “Marseille used to have a very insular mentality, cut off from the creating a whole new skyline for a city that never really had one.

34 France • summer 2008 France • summer 2008 35 In the industrial neighborhood called La Joliette, a 33-story office Rich or for Everybody”) was formed in 2000 to tower by architecture star Zaha Hadid is rising up in ultracontempo- protect the most vulnerable residents rary glory around concrete pillars that swoon inward to create a struc- poor, it is from the collateral damage of gentri- ture resembling a glass-and-steel corset. When it is completed next striking fication. One of their challenges has year, it will be home to the shipping company CMA CGM. In archi- how many been the rue de la République, a Second tectural circles, Marseille has become a coveted client, as evidenced people Empire avenue whose Haussmann-style by the major names that have signed on to rebuild it—Jean Nouvel, buildings had turned black from neglect. Rudy Ricciotti, Kengo Kuma and Massimiliano Fuksas. International from all Now, a new tramline runs down the companies—the Compass Group, IBM, DHL, Expedia—are already walks of street, passing by freshly cleaned façades poised to move into these trophy addresses. life claim and trendy shops such as Sephora and Touring the site, Anthony Abihssira from Euroméditerranée’s H&M. When this rehabilitation started communications department makes a sweeping gesture toward an they would a few years ago, developers (including enormous vacant lot with a few parked cars and a highway behind leave the French subsidiary of an American it and proclaims, “This will be the Terraces du Port.” Within a year Marseille investment fund) pressured impover- or two the wasteland will be a glittering shopping mall complex with for nothing ished tenants to move out. a promenade for bikes and pedestrians, the highway partially buried But the association fought back, and underground. Nearby, an old grain silo will be reborn as a concert hall. in the hundreds of residents were eventually A cinema multiplex with a flexible Gore-Tex roof will also rise up, world. relocated elsewhere. “We have nothing designed by Massimiliano Fuksas to resemble the silhouette of dol- against cleaning up the city,” says Michel phins leaping at the water’s surface. And local-boy-done-good Rudy Guillon, one of the association’s founding Ricciotti has designed the new national museum for European and members, “but that’s no reason to chase away the poor.” He claims Mediterranean civilizations, a modern cube with a lacy concrete façade that due to their efforts, expulsions have stopped and the city is start- that will be linked to the centuries-old Fort Saint-Jean. ing to include public housing as part of redevelopment efforts. But, François Jalinot, managing director of Euroméditerranée, explains he says, citizens must remain vigilant. that there is a “virtuous” aspect to these projects, given that the water- Rich or poor, it is striking how many people from all walks of front was long covered with derelict warehouses. “We’re rebuilding the life claim they would leave Marseille for nothing in the world. With city rather than expanding into undeveloped areas. We’re cleaning up its fractured geography, it takes a while for visitors to grasp this im- pollution, creating more jobs and services from daycare to schools, and mense hodgepodge of 111 villages. At the northernmost reaches of its setting up a good transportation network to reduce the need for cars.” 35 miles of coastline is picturesque L’Estaque, where Cézanne lived Indeed, the brand-spanking-new tramway and painted and the homegrown director Robert Guédiguian set the glides by here looking as proud as the Little Miles of dramatic charming movie Marius et Jeanette. At the southernmost end are the Engine That Could. An environmentally coastline and a calanques, wild rocky inlets where the mountains plunge into the sea, friendly high school boasts an industrial-chic Mediterranean dotted with hiking paths and waterside cafés. In the heart of the city climate combine façade made of shipping containers. Next to to give Marseille is the Vieux Port, a breathtakingly beautiful postcard scene still dotted it, a residential development includes high- an enviable qual- with fishing and pleasure boats, ringed with restaurants and a hilly end lofts in stone warehouses interspersed ity of life. Top: Cap landscape covered with apartments, the whole guarded by two ancient with attractive public housing units. Jalinot Croisette in the forts made of massive pink-hued stone. Docked in the background, calanques. Bottom: points out that one-third of Euroméditer- Chez Jeannot ferries bound for and loom enormous and white. ranée’s new and renovated residences will be restaurant in the Marseille’s center extends inland from the Vieux Port, adjacent to subsidized housing. Vallon des Auffes La Canebière, the street that divides the prosperous districts to the “To date, this project has received €531 neighborhood. south from the poor ones to the north. The city’s best-known land- million in public funding,” says Jalinot. “That mark is the newly refurbished striped-marble Notre Dame de la Garde in turn has generated private investment of €2.9 billion. Euromédi- basilica, looking down benevolently from its hilltop perch. Its interior terranée is going to propel Marseille to the level of a great European is filled with ex-votos in the form of model boats left by sailors giving metropolis. We are going to be a world player.” thanks after surviving storms at sea. Every August 15, thousands of locals hike up to the summit in a pilgrimage to La Bonne Mère. A motion was recently signed to extend the project even farther “Marseille is an incredible place,” says Radio Grenouille’s Julie north, with a second stage that would continue construction through Demuer. “We have the sea, the islands. You walk out of a neighbor- 2020. At the same time, the city has been attempting to rehabilitate hood where you feel like you’re in Africa and suddenly you’re in a other neighborhoods such as Le Panier, Belsunce and Noailles. But Peloponnesian port.” Others point out their favorite seaside rock for not everyone in Marseille is excited about these changes. Julie Dem- sunbathing, the restaurants where they eat with their toes in the sand, uer is director of Radio Grenouille, a local station that plays a mix of the calanques they head to for a solitary hike when they need to get world music and politico-social commentary from a slipshod trailer. away from the hustle and bustle. Demuer speaks for many artists and low-income residents when she For many, Marseille’s chaos, its laissez-faire attitude, is part of its asserts, “Marseille’s richness is its diversity as a working-class city. The charm. Services might be lacking, from adequate daycare to a decent developers are swooping in to buy up every square meter they can mass-transit system, but the city has given rise to an incredibly strong find and turn them into dwellings for bobos.” network of neighborhood associations, and its residents all devise A citizens’ association called “Un Centre ville pour tous” (“Downtown their own ways to get by.

36 France • summer 2008 France • summer 2008 37 1 4

2 3 5 6

EuromÉditerranÉe Launched in 1996, this 20-year project is slowly transforming Marseille into the economic and cultural capital of the Mediterranean. Here is a preview of what’s still to come:

1. The expansive Terrasses du Port project is adjacent to Marseille’s busy port area; developers hope that its 150 4. Massimiliano Fuksas’s design for Marseille’s new Euromed Center includes a multiplex cinema with a Gore-Tex shops, including luxury boutiques, will lure many of the more than two million ferryboat and cruise-ship passengers “skin” that evokes dolphins and other marine animals; its white palette echoes the surrounding limestone land- who transit nearby. The vast ensemble will also include sports facilities as well as high-end restaurants and cafés. scape. Expected to open in 2011, the project will also include offices, shops, a four-star hotel and a garden.

2. The Arenc grain silo was considered so avant garde when it opened in 1926 that it is said to have inspired Le 5. The new Musée national des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MUCEM) will be a sort of square Corbusier’s design for his Cité Radieuse. Architect Eric Castaldi is now transforming it into offices, apartments, within a square, its outside walls forming a lacy concrete veil made using the latest technologies. The building’s a 2,000-seat performance hall and a restaurant that will take full advantage of its waterfront location. horizontal shape contrasts with the vertical Fort Saint-Jean; an elevated walkway will connect the two buildings.

3. In planning the corporate headquarters for shipping firm CMA CGM, Pritzker Prize-winner Zaha Hadid opted 6. Architect Rudy Ricciotti calls his design for MUCEM a “vertical casbah,” its five floors surrounded by walkways to add an iconic vertical landmark to this port city’s low skyline. Sculptural and fluid, its lines appear in perpetual allowing visitors to take in views of the sea and the city. The concrete veil—not visible on this drawing—will play movement, accelerating as they head skyward. Plans call for a panoramic restaurant open to the public. with the notion of “seeing without being seen.” The building is slated to open in 2011.

4038 France • summer 2008 France • summer 2008 39 Not that long ago, gifted young Marseillais invariably headed to Paris. Now they are staying home—joined by Parisians who sense new opportunities and welcome the fabulous quality of life. Here are a few of the creative talents taking root in the new Massalia.

WATCHA CLAN CLIVIA NOBILI LN BOUL COOKED IN MARSEILLE Promoting tolerance through music Fashions for working-class heroes Form, function and fun Color-drenched designs Sitting in a café in Marseille wearing an Adidas sweatshirt instead of the djellaba Born in Paris 34 years ago, Clivia Nobili always knew she wanted to work in With her easy smile and blonde pixie cut, LN Boul (a play on her real name, The decrepit staircase that leads to Marine Peyre’s studio near the Old Port of he sports onstage, Clément Queysanne–aka Suprem Clem–does his best to cat- fashion. Largely self-taught (she briefly studied at FIT in New York), she moved Hélène Boularan, as well as the famous Ecole Boulle) is already turning heads Marseille wouldn’t be out of place in a Coen brothers’ film. But open the door, and egorize the musical style of Watcha Clan. He throws out “world and bass” and to Marseille in 1999 and found creative inspiration in this working-class city. She in the design world, though she finished her studies just last year. you discover high ceilings, fuchsia walls, groovy corrugated foam floor seating and “live electro world” before admitting, “It’s hard to define.” immersed herself in Jack London’s tales of the proletariat and memories of her In her second year at Marseille’s Beaux-Arts academy, she created a lac- the designer herself, tall and lovely with a vague resemblance to Sigourney Weaver. A native of the southern Alps, he plays keyboards for the group, which also grandfather, a Renault factory-worker, before creating modern reinterpretations quered fiberglass chair consisting of a seat curved like an oversized contact Peyre is pure Marseillais, born and bred here and a graduate of the city’s Beaux- includes Corsican drummer Matt Labesse and the striking female singer Sista K, of laborers’ clothes from another era. All are made from cotton denim from the lens that can be adjusted on a round base. Called “O,” it was picked up by an Arts academy. Thirty-five years under the Mediterranean sun have produced a who was born in Marseille and is of Jewish and Berber heritage. (Another some- Vosges, dyed locally in neutral shades; they soften with wear, adapting to the agency and shown at the Milan furniture fair that year. “At first, such early suc- woman who loves color, applied gaily and liberally to objects in man-made sub- time member, Nassim Kouti, is an Algerian Muslim.) body’s contours. cess felt a little illegitimate,” the designer recalls. “And there was a lot of pres- stances such as silicone, PVC and resin. “I like innovative materials that are sur- Influenced by groups such as Trans-Global Underground and Asian Dub The Fall/Winter 2008 collection, her second, is titled “Working Class Hero.” sure, everyone saying ‘what will she do next?’” prising to the touch,” she explains. She received international acclaim in 2001 for Foundation, Watcha Clan sees itself as a Marseillais version of London’s elec- It includes square-necked tunics reminiscent of fruit-pickers’ outfits and a men’s She answered the question with “Swell,” a folding screen made of undulating her “Lamp’oule,” an ingenious silicone cube that pops directly onto a light bulb. tronic Indian scene, bringing contemporary urban sounds to a mix of musical heavy cotton blazer with a removable wool lining hand-knitted by an artisan in wood slats in different thicknesses and exhibited at Paris’s Maison & Objet trade This was followed by such amusing pieces as heat-resistant silicone espresso traditions. Their fifth album, called Diaspora Hi-Fi, was conceived while they trav- the Cévennes region. A highlight is the long woman’s coat with diagonal pockets show last January. Travels to Africa inspired her to create a coffee table with cups (totally unsmashable—she takes a hammer to one to prove it) and placemats eled through Spain, Morocco and Algeria, and even includes Balkan music in- and a gap in the front, modeled on the clothing inmates wore to break rocks in a recessed section for holding fruit or serving communal meals, while a trip to textured like animal skin but made from the same material as flip-flops. spired by lullabies that Sista K heard growing up. She sings the lyrics in French, 19th-century prisons called bagnes. It’s something you wouldn’t mind wearing 20 Brazil led to a doorway curtain of colored zippers. Many of her designs are still Recently she has turned her attention toward installations and interior architec- Arabic, Hebrew, Yiddish, Spanish and English. “We carry a message of tolerance years to life. clivianobili.com prototypes, but LN appears poised to become a household name. lnboul.com ture, including uncharacteristically black pieces for the Pavillon Noir dance center through our music,” says Suprem Clem. “In 2003, we performed in Hebrew in in Aix-en-Provence. But the sunshine came back with the brightly colored con- Algeria. Everyone said we were crazy, but it went really well.” watchaclan.com tainers she designed for the Flowerbox gallery; simply add soil and your favorite plants, then hang or lean against a wall. cookedinmarseille.net

A typical example could be seen one recent day as the number 49 bus in the northern cités, is a staunch allegiance to the Olympique de over the next few years, a dozen museums will be consolidated into its more developed competitors Bordeaux, Toulouse and Lyon. rumbled toward the gritty Belle de Mai neighborhood. A small woman Marseille soccer team. The stadium holds 60,000 spectators, and the three major sites: the Palais de Longchamp (fine arts), the Château That’s not to say it’s a cultural charity case. In addition to muse- of indeterminate age wearing a headscarf and pushing a battered baby average number of ticket-holders per game is 57,000. Didier Mattera, Borély (decorative arts and fashion) and the stunning 18th-century ums, theaters and dance companies, there are annual events such as carriage got on and took a seat without paying. The driver sarcastically who co-founded an association of OM fans more than two decades Centre de la Vieille Charité (archaeology and history). the Festival de Marseille, largely devoted to contemporary dance (June muttered something about the bus being free, and a moment later she ago, says the city has an undying passion for the sport because “we From September 16 to January 11, the Vieille Charité will host 20-July 17), the 5 Continents Jazz Festival (July 23-26) and the world approached him with a 10-euro note in her hand. “I don’t have change,” didn’t have a lot to be proud of here. Our pride developed around the an exhibit comparing 17 works by Vincent Van Gogh with paint- music Fiesta des Suds (two weeks in October). If the city wins its bid, he said. “But the fact that you’re ready to pay is enough.” soccer team.” For him, a person anywhere in France who wears an ings by the Marseille-born artist Adolphe Monticelli, whom the there are plans to create a festival of contemporary Mediterranean arts OM jersey is expressing an entire set of values, notably: “I am tolerant, Dutchman deeply admired though the two never met. “Van Gogh and an annual event staging cultural happenings in public spaces. The Marseillais often express pride that their city was the least af- and I belong to a community.” (The team sells about 300,000 jerseys saw the avant-garde in his paintings,” explains Vial. “It was there Latarjet says there’s another key factor that makes his city the best fected by the suburban riots that shook France two and a half years per year.) One of the association’s main undertakings is to ensure that that he found what he sought to express.” Van Gogh’s legacy over- candidate for cultural capital: “Marseille is on the front line of the im- ago. They explain that it’s because this is a true melting pot without tickets remain affordable, so that anyone can go to the games. shadows that of the humble Monticelli, who spent his last years in portant issues of the upcoming decades—immigration, integration, ethnic ghettos or a history of pushing its poor to the periphery. Fran- Surprisingly, the Marseillais are nearly as enthusiastic about culture Marseille, painting landscapes and bouquets. “He’s an artist who the relation between cultures and religions. It is the most cosmopolitan çois Jalinot calls it “the most American city in France.” Thirty nation- as soccer. The mayor makes a point of stating that more season tickets didn’t build his career in Paris but preferred to return to his native city in Europe. And it’s a laboratory of sorts, searching for answers to alities live side by side here, including 200,000 North Africans and are sold for theater productions than for OM games. The city’s af- city, where he lived modestly but well,” says Vial. such fundamental questions as ‘How do you welcome the world?’” Africans, 80,000 Armenians and 70,000 Comorians, in addition to fordability has made it a favorite destination for artists, and the un- Also in September, a European jury will descend on Marseille What’s certain is that the world is knocking at Marseille’s door. large communities of Greeks, Italians, and Asians. Unfail- derground scene is abuzz. But like so much here, the cultural scene is to study its application to be European Capital of Culture in 2013, ingly, the people describe themselves as Marseillais first. But this mix scattered into many small pieces, without a major museum or similar a designation that will be given to both a French and a Slovakian For more information on Marseille and for help in planning a visit, contact the of populations is a delicate balance, and nobody takes it for granted. venue as an obvious attraction. Marseille’s director of museums, Marie- city that year. Bernard Latarjet is general director of the associa- city’s Office du Tourisme et des Congrès, 4 La Canebière, 13001 Marseille. Tel. One thing they all share, from the bourgeoisie living in the glori- Paule Vial, says, “We don’t have an obvious cultural showcase, no tion that’s organizing the bid. He says one of the major reasons 33/4-91-13-89-00; marseille-tourisme.com. For information on rail travel to ous mansions of the Roucas district high above the water to the kids equivalent of MoMA, even though the collections are good.” Thus, Marseille should be chosen is that it needs a helping hand, unlike Marseille, go to raileurope.com.

40 France • summer 2008 France • summer 2008 41 Rue, 2e; Tel. 33/4-91-90-69-98. morning, play chess after lunch or en- Pizzeria Sauveur Sauveur has joy an apéritif in the evening, when the been serving up since 1943, and lighting gives the café a guingette-like the recipe hasn’t changed a bit. The atmosphere. 6 square Stalingrad, 1er; dough is fine and crusty, topped with Tel. 33/4-91-62-28-51. fresh tomatoes, finely sliced melt-in- your-mouth champignons de Paris, SWEET STUFF Corsican figatellu or Italian sausage. Nothing complicated or fancy, just Whether you’re looking for classic good ingredients. Right before serving, French pastries or local specialties, the pie is drizzled with oil delicately Marseille offers a tempting selection. infused with garlic. €1.50 a slice; pies Les Navettes des Accoules José from €9.50 to €15. 10 rue d’Aubagne, Orsoni is king of the navette, the 1er; Tel. 33/4-91-54-33-96. baguette-shaped Marseille cookie made without yeast and flavored with L’APÉRO orange blossom water. His are made fresh each day (as are the rest of his L’heure de l’apéro is especially impor- cookies, macarons and sablés). Any- tant in southern France, where people thing not sold the day it’s made is do- enjoy lingering over a glass of pastis, nated to local community associations. LUNCH & DINNER basking in the late afternoon light. A collector’s item: his decorative tins La Caravelle Located on the containing 12 navettes. 68 rue Cais- Le Petit Nice These are typical of France’s new- second floor of Hôtel Bellevue, La serie, 2e; Tel. 33/4-91-90-99-42. the best place to buy pompes à l’huile, “The sea is my garden,” says Gérald generation restaurants—places where Caravelle offers a dramatic view of the Sylvain Depuichaffray For the a seasonal cake made with Passédat, glancing out at the waters you eat well, meet interesting people Vieux Port, with La Bonne Mère ap- past four years, this pâtissier has been (also known as gibassier, it’s one of the that surround his restaurant, Le Petit From the freshest navettes to yet don’t spend a fortune. pearing close enough to touch. The the talk of the town. Since taking over famous 13 desserts). The Chelsea bun Nice, on three sides. Passédat grew the tastiest figatelli, Julia Sammut L’Eau à la bouche Chef Rodol- little place is always so full you’d think a neighborhood pastry shop, he has with raisins and cinnamon is worth go- up admiring this stunning view: His phe Bodikian, who previously worked no one else in Marseille serves drinks. been turning out designer pastries ing out of your way for. 33 rue Vacon, grandfather founded the restaurant er dishes on the best of Marseille. at La Tour d’Argent and Guy Savoy, There’s a balcony with four tables, a reminiscent of Pierre Hermé (his maca- 1 ; Tel. 33/4-91-33-79-43. here in 1917 and his father later takes his pizza very seriously. His white room that’s a bit dated but still popular, rons! his Ispahan!). Also noteworthy Boulangerie Aixoise This bakery’s earned it two Michelin stars. Following pizza—garnished with mesclun, cured a piano, good jazz, a bar—and that’s are his fabulous violet and black-cur- tarte au nougat and castel au nougat a contemporary renovation that plays ham, parmesan shavings, olive oil, and marinated sardines served on an pretty much it. 34 quai du Port, 2e; Tel. rant cake, and his Christmas tree that have become classics. Same with the upon the natural beauty beyond the by fellow journalists who wanted lemon and artichokes—is simply out of open-faced sandwich with arugula. 33/4-91-90-36-64. incorporates Provence’s traditional 13 courabiés, cookies made from a pâte floor-to-ceiling windows (and includes to bring stuffy down this world. Savor it while enjoying the The desserts, especially the chocolate Les Danaïdes Regulars come here desserts. Anything made with choco- sablée, butter, almonds and powdered a tree trunk in the middle of the dining off its pedestal and “give it a kick in Mediterranean views. Pies from €8.80 caramel pot de crème, are irresistible. to sip coffee and read the paper in the late or passion fruit is bound to be di- sugar that are a Greek specialty room), Le Petit Nice received three the butt.” Julia now covers south- to €13. 120 Corniche Kennedy, 7e; About €4 to €7 per item. 41 rue Pa- vine. You can enjoy these delicacies in handed down from the owner’s grand- stars this year for Passédat’s pure, e mother. Then there are the yummy poetic cooking style. ern France for Le Fooding’s popular Tel. 33/4-91-52-16-16. pety, 7 ; Tel. 33/4-91-59-17-10. Marseille’s accommodations run the his tearoom or get them to go. 66 rue er navettes, the lemon tart…. 45 rue Local fishermen arrive at all hours, restaurant guide (they also have a La Cantinetta This friendly bistro Le Café des épices You used to gamut from the friendly, boho Hôtel Grignan, 1 ; Tel. 33/4-91-33-09-75. Davso, 1er; Tel. 33/4-91-33-93-85. bringing in freshly caught fish and magazine and stage events in cities is known for its great atmosphere have to drive across the city to get to Vertigo (opposite, above) to the new, Maison Michel This bakery is al- Alain Pollosson The Pollosson crustaceans that make up 90 per- throughout Europe) while contribut- and authentic Italian food. Chef/ this great restaurant. Now you can uber-chic Radisson (below). ways super-popular but at Christmas, family has been making meringues at cent of the menu. His supplier of ing to various other publications. owner Pierre-Antoine Denis goes from simply hop on the ferry at the Quai Opposite below: Navettes, the city’s the line stretches all the way to La this same location for 40 years. These sea anemones dives deep below the In addition, she has teamed up table to table with his chalkboard Rive-Neuve and work up an appetite signature sweet. Canebière. The Marseillais know this is Although born and bred in with her sister, Nadia, to launch of daily specials, explaining how he as you sail across the harbor. Upon surface for his prey, which suppos- Provence, food writer Julia Sammut Travel Food, which plots out cuts sardines or prepares his risotto. your arrival, you’ll see the restaurant’s edly taste better than those gathered didn’t really get to know Marseille custom itineraries for clients who Passionate about food, he’ll go on recently completed terrace dotted with higher up. The chef prepares cer- until she moved there four years love to travel and to eat. “People at length about why it’s best to chop olive trees in oversized planters. The tain fish simply, whole and perfectly ago. “I had this idea of living near were always asking our parents parsley with a ceramic knife. A la carte place is always packed, and for good cooked in their skin. Others take cen- the sea, so I thought I’d give Mar- where they should go when they around €30. 24 cours Julien, 6e; Tel. reason: Try the terrine de brousse with ter stage in a refined play of contrasts, seille a try,” she recalls. “The first traveled to this or that place,” says 33/4-91-48-10-48. piquillo peppers and preserved lem- such as red mullet with a pistachio day there, I visited what would turn Julia. “So Nadia started putting Ca Blanca Chef Edouard Giribone ons, follow it up with a mackerel and bouillon and star anise consommé, out to be my apartment. It was 6 together little booklets with the loves Spain—he collects cookbooks spinach napoleon with white truffle oil, or a Brittany lobster on a bright P.M., that magical hour in Marseille favorite addresses of our family by great Spanish chefs—and always and top it all off with a lightly whipped blue hibiscus consommé with green when a beautiful pink glow washes and close friends. A couple of years brings something back from his trips fromage blanc served with candied cit- mango purée. Passédat’s version of over the city. I stood on the terrace ago, we realized this could be a to Barcelona’s Boqueria market. He is rus fruits and a fresh tea biscuit—truly bouillabaisse—the best in Marseille looking out at Notre Dame de la business.” Building on her journal- known for his tapas that incorporate unforgettable. Lunch menus at €23, and probably the world—is a decon- Garde and the clusters of rooftops. ism contacts, Julia has also estab- the very best ingredients, including dinner menus at €35. 4 rue Lacydon, structed tour of the Mediterranean, It was breathtaking—I fell in love lished a network of trusted sources Pata Negra ham. Another highlight: 2e; Tel. 33/4-91-91-22-69. a seven-course “descent by layers,” right then and there.” in cities throughout the world, his seafood fideo, with grilled cuttle- Les Buvards Occupying prime real from the rocky shallows to the bottom It seemed obvious to friends making it possible for Travel Food fish and prawns, angel hair and estate at the base of Le Panier, this tiny of the sea. You’d be hard-pressed to that Julia, daughter of renowned to give clients the latest scoop on squid ink. Lunch menus at €35. 53 rue establishment—sort of a cellar find a better guide. Provençal chef Reine Sammut, where to go, what to do and, of St Pierre, 5e; Tel. 33/4-91-48-68-23; where they also serve food—is a great Le Petit Nice has always been a would have a food-related career, course, what to eat. restaurant-cablanca.com. place to try good paired with place to celebrate special occasions, but she herself didn’t immediately On the following pages, Julia Les Akolytes With a prime water- simple fare: jambon persillé, home- but now Passédat is giving guests a € come to that conclusion. After a shares her favorite addresses front location opposite the Plage des made foie gras, Mont d’Or cheese with reason to come more often: a 55 year studying hotel management in Marseille. “These are places Catalans, this restaurant bears some Calvados and impeccable mackerel weekday lunch menu. That’s a bargain (“a disaster”), she switched to law that reflect what I think is the real resemblance to a modern cafeteria, filets. Wash them down with a glass for food of this caliber. Allow time to then to journalism. “I hadn’t planned Marseille—a city where strangers with its trendy plastic chairs and or- of Original, a slightly meringuey white enjoy a drink at the bar, a destination on becoming a food writer, but don’t hesitate to talk to one another, ange accent walls. There’s no menu, wine from Perpignan. Only “natural” in and of itself, with one of the best somehow I just fell into it. I guess it where you always feel like you are just a chalkboard featuring 15 daily wines are served here—they may or island views to be had in Marseille. was inevitable,” she laughs. in a village and where there is an in- specials. They include Marseille-style may not be organic, but all have very 17 rue des Braves, 7e; Tel. 33/4-91- Seven years ago, she joined Le credible quality of life. I travel all the fusion cooking and large portions of low sulfite levels. Fromage frais laced 59-25-92; petitnice-passedat.com. Fooding (derived from “food” plus time for my work, but I can’t imagine tapas—pork bastilla with pistachios, with maple syrup is the perfect dessert. —AS “feeling”), a movement launched living anywhere else.” chicken brochettes in peanut sauce, Around €20 per person. 34 Grand

42 France • summer 2008 France • summer 2008 43 special bouillon cubes used for prepar- mostarda from Cremona, burrata from can even have a picnic lunch waiting even soaps shaped like little ducks er ing tagines. 34 rue d’Aubagne, 1 ; Tel. Puglia, cuttlefish-ink sauce and Sicilian for you when you pick up your boat. (€5.90). The line is extensive, the 33/4-91-33-77-49. fleur de sel. It’s also a great place to From €350 for a rental from 1:00 P.M. packaging simple and contemporary. Arax This is the place to get au- pick up a sandwich.199 avenue Ma- to 6:00 P.M. and a picnic for four. 33 bd The company, which just came out e thentic ’s milk from Athens. zargues, 8 ; Tel. 33/4-91-77-33-60. Longchamp, 1er; Tel. 33/4-91-08-12-35; with an organic line, also offers soap Very white and not too salty, you can Normandy A shrine to great yacht-and-more.com. for washing fruits and vegetables. 1 rue eat it in flaky börek pastries or by the cheese, Normandy has reigned at this Caisserie, 2e; Tel. 33/4-91-56-20-94; spoonful. 24 rue d’Aubagne, 1er; Tel. location for 85 years. The fromagerie WHERE TO SHOP lcdpmarseille.com. 33/4-91-33-94-89. has more than 400 different types of Un Jour, une Sardine This cheese, aged on site. Most are French, There are hundreds of places to shop whimsically named shop specializes with the exception of two-year-old in Marseille—after all, it’s France’s in designer goods for the kitchen— STREET FOOD er Parmesan. 77 rue Davso, 1 ; Tel. second-largest city—but these bou- everything from blue-parrot bottle Panisses Panisses are fried cakes 33/4-91-33-86-38. tiques all boast a local pedigree. openers to Alessi teapots, colorful made from chickpeas and olive oil. Boulangerie La Paline Thomas Sessun Launched nearly 11 years metal trashcans, Peugeot electric There’s nothing simpler and nothing Teffri-Chambelland was a teacher ago, Sessun showcases the brand pepper grinders and great saucepans. better with a Sunday pastis. They can before becoming a baker at age 25. created by owner Emma François as And of course, an assortment of be found only in L’Estaque; the best He’d been making at home for a way to finance her studies. Originally wares from local designers. 157 rue ones come from the stands run by some 10 years before taking the leap, inspired by street fashion, her line has Paradis, 6e; Tel. 33/4-91-37-94-14; Freddy and Magali (look for the signs). experimenting, reading everything he become fresher and more sophisti- deco-unjourunesardine.com. e Plage de l’Estaque, 16 . could find, meeting with bakers…. cated. Must-haves include leather an- Empereur Visiting Marseille’s old- La Maison de la glace This shop Based in Sisteron, he uses only or- kle boots, super long scarves, leather est hardware store (founded in 1828) delicious sweets are a beloved child- 5 . 39 rue d’Aubagne, 1er; Tel. has been churning out creamy ice ganic ingredients and natural yeasts, jackets and lots of great prints. 6 rue is almost like making a pilgrimage to hood memory for many locals, but visi- 33/4-91-33-66-40. cream for six decades now. You’ll producing a dough with a higher-than- Sainte, 1er; Tel. 33/4-91-52-33-61; Notre Dame de la Garde. The chatty Honoré tors might wonder what they have that Le Femina The storefront of this find such classic Provençal flavors as usual liquid content that keeps the sessun.com. sales staff knows everything there is Local designer Annick Lestrohan created her own brand in 1985, selling other meringues do not. The answer: restaurant is super modern, but the honey-lavender, calisson, nougat and bread moist and fresh longer. Available Marianne Cat Housed in an 18th- to know about their products, and children’s clothing and then expanding into women’s wear and accessories. They’re topped with whipped cream. family-owned Femina has been here honey-rosemary but also Soliès fig, at Marseille’s organic market on Cours century townhouse with dramatic the kitchen department is amazing— In 2005, she founded Honoré, which quickly became a Marseille institution. They come in various sizes, and there’s since 1921. Run by Algerian Kabyles, mango and Cavaillon melon. Special Julien, Wednesdays from 6:30 A.M. to light fixtures by Argentinean designer you’ll find Screwpull “wine keys” that Customers love the charming sophistication of Lestrohan’s linens and house- even a whipped cream and meringue their specialty is handmade , kudos for the hazelnut! 94 rue Sainte, 1:30 P.M. painbio.com. Octavio Amado, this is Marseille’s first automatically age wine, old-fashioned wares—everything from wooden dishes to handmade wicker bulls’ heads and e cake. 167 avenue du Prado, 8e; Tel. served with Sisteron lamb, lamb meat- 7 ; Tel. 33/4-91-33-17-23. Les Caves de l’abbaye The concept store. Local designer Mari- crank-operated potato peelers, coffee woven straw lamps. The boutique also carries dresses and a line of leather bags 33/4-91-79-12-42. balls, merguez, chicken, kebabs or grandson of distillers, Lionel Cusenier anne Cat has a great eye for everything mills, design-y saucepans and a wide that have become collectors’ items. Plauchut This shop is devoted to any combination you fancy. Couscous PACKING A PICNIC has always had a passion for wine, that’s new and cool: Belgian designer range of household items. 4 rue des Lestrohan’s son Edouardo, a fan of Spanish food, operates the little restau- real whipped cream—the old-fashioned from €14.30 to €20.90. 1 rue du which he has been selling for four tank tops, Upla bags, Yohji Yamamoto Récolettes, 1er; Tel. 33/4-91-54-02-29; rant inside the store. The menu offers temptations galore—creamy white bean kind, hand-beaten with the best fresh Musée,1er; Tel. 33/4-91-54-03-56. Payany This traiteur- years. But he’s no wine snob—he for men and clothes by up-and-coming empereur.fr. soup, salt cod and preserved lemon, vitello tonnato, manchego cheese, berry cream, sugar and high-quality va- Le Zénith Marseille’s Noailles charcutier consists of a small marble sometimes even serves customers in young designers. Along with fashion, meringue, fromage blanc.... Attention is paid to even the smallest details, from nilla. As the sign says, Plauchut has neighborhood is a bit reminiscent of counter and a display case, and that’s shorts and flip-flops after coming in the tiny wooden bowl filled with fleur de sel to the toasted bread that is brought you’ll find fragrances by Carthusia ART BEAT been making it that way since 1820. Algiers, and that means plenty of grilled about all. Twice a week, on Tuesdays from a morning on his boat. di Capri and Floris London, scented to your table as soon as you are seated, with a mixture of tomatoes, garlic, basil But that’s not all they make: There meats. This restaurant is known for its and Thursdays, Payany makes all the His shop is also a tad unusual: A candles by Catherine Memmi and In a sign of the times, Marseille now and olive oil for do-it-yourself crostini. are also chocolates, ice cream and small but divine lamb’s liver kebabs cold cuts: sublime figatelli with juniper mechanic for 17 years, Cusenier has Doux Me’s organic cosmetics. 53 rue has a lively contemporary art scene. Soon those who can’t get enough of the Honoré lifestyle will be able to live sorbets, navettes, canistrelli, dark prepared in a wood stove according berries; thickly sliced cooked ham; integrated cars and motorcycles into Grignan, 6e; Tel. 33/4-91-55-05-25. Here are some of the newest arrivals. it both day and night: This summer, Lestrohan is opening a four-room B&B e and light nougat, macarons and to a family recipe. Wash them down sausage without a hint of grease… the decor. The wines are all personal La Compagnie de Provence This Galerie V.F. Marseille’s latest right next to the boutique. Rooms from €150. 121 and 123 rue Sainte, 7 ; Tel. amaretti. 168 La Canebière, 1er; Tel. with a traditional mint tea. €2 for four He’s also well known for his home- favorites he’s discovered through vint- is the place to buy savon de Marseille, up-and-coming neighborhood is the 33/4-91-33-08-34; honore-france.com. e 33/4-91-48-06-67. kebabs. 6 rue d’Aubagne, 1er. made potato chips, which are fried ners or their agents. 99 rue Sainte, 7 ; the classic olive-oil-based soap made area near the Palais Longchamp. The Dîtes-moi tout Sébastien Mahier, Hanna The Algerian pastries at in olive oil and hand-packed in indi- Tel. 33/4-91-55-54-65. in the area since the Middle Ages. proof is that a contemporary art gal- e 32, studied at the Ritz and Le Grand this pâtisserie near the casbah-like vidual bags. 72 rue Breteuil, 6 ; Tel. They’ve got it all: the traditional cubes lery opened its doors there in March Marseille as well as Dijon, Paris, Italy, Hôtel le Corbusier Located Véfour, two of Paris’s greatest restau- Marché du Soleil are better than any- 33/4-91-37-08-95. BOATING PARTIES as well as shampoos, body lotions— 2007. Attractive and airy, it hosts Morocco and beyond. 8 rue du Che- within Le Corbusier’s famous Cité rants. He makes only what he likes: an where else. Specialties include a pink Pasta & Dolce The owner comes collective and monographic exhibits valier Roze, 2e; Tel. 33/4-91-90-07-98; Radieuse, Hôtel Le Corbusier offers a exquisite apple tart, macarons to die cake sprinkled with silver dragées, from Genoa, and this grocery/deli is Yacht&More On Sundays when the of international artists. 15 bd Mon- galerieofmarseille.com. unique lodging experience. Practically for, super-light éclairs with orange blos- a square pastry made with an Italian fantasy. Ingredients are piled weather is good, the Marseillais head tricher, 1er; Tel. 33/4-91-50-87-62; nothing has changed since this iconic and almonds, and six types on shelves from floor to ceiling—the for the sea, islands and calanques. If som water and fabulous chocolates. 33 vfgalerie.com. WHERE TO STAY structure—envisioned as model of bd Philipon, 4e; Tel. 33/4-91-62-01-73. of galettes. You can sit down and classics, of course (fresh pasta, tomato you’re tempted to join them, contact Station Alexandre In the northern utopian living—was built in 1952. Along Xocoatl Located at the foot of Le enjoy a crêpe mille trous drizzled with preserves, ) but also items that Yacht&More, which offers boat rentals district known as Le Canet, the former Whatever your budget, you can find with the hotel, the Cité houses apart- Panier, this family-run chocolaterie honey, accompanied by a small coffee. are more difficult to find, including and a variety of custom services. They sorting station of an old olive oil mill distinctive accommodations in Mar- ments, shops, exercise facilities, a never ceases to amaze chocoholics, for 51 avenue Camille Pelletan, 1er; Tel. has been converted into a fabulous seille. Here’s a short list of places that pool and restaurant. Accommodations whom it’s a real treasure trove. There 33/4-91-90-99-46. space that’s part Eiffel, part mid- are long on style. range from monastic cabin rooms with are 36 varieties in all, including impec- Patisserie Orientale Journo century. Along with businesses, medi- Sofitel Vieux Port This four-star furniture by Charlotte Perriand to cably prepared classics and excellent Journo offers the best of Tunisian cal offices and a daycare facility, there’s luxury hotel has an unbeatable location mini suites sleeping up to four people, ganaches. All are delectable. 28 Grand Jewish cuisine: fricassées (fried rolls a great cultural center that offers overlooking the harbor and the city’s with balcony and ocean views. Rue, 1er; Tel. 33/4-91-90-22-91. stuffed with chakchouka, tuna, hard- jazz concerts and dance perfor- pink stone forts. Luxuriously renovated, From €59 to €120. 280 boulevard boiled eggs and black ); bricks mances; coming up are art shows it eschews Provençal clichés in favor of Michelet, 8e; Tel. 33/4-91-16-78-00; (a thin dough stuffed with egg and ETHNIC EATS and theater performances mounted a contemporary nod to regional style. hotellecorbusier.com. various other ingredients, then fried); in collaboration with Le Théâtre du There’s a panoramic restaurant and a Hôtel Vertigo Marseille now boasts Marseille’s history as a port city has and daily specials you won’t find any- Merlan and Le Massalia. 31 bd Charles great lobby bar—a favorite with locals. something that most cities sorely lack: made it a culinary melting pot. You can where else, such as pkeila (spinach Moretti, 14e; Tel. 33/4-91-00-90-00; Doubles from €150. 36 bd Charles Livon, a train-station hotel that’s nothing like, find some of the Mediterranean’s best and green vegetables) and gnaouia (an station-alexandre.org. 7e; Tel. 1-800/SOFITEL; sofitel.com. well, a train-station hotel. This conviv- fare in the Noailles neighborhood, just okra-based ). About €10 for the Galerie of Marseille If you’ve just Radisson SAS Hotel Marseille ial, charmingly decorated establish- two minutes from the Vieux Port. daily special. 28 rue Pavillon, 1er; Tel. visited Marseille’s Museum of Con- Centrally located, this new hotel offers ment aims to create the feel of a family Le Cèdre Pitas stuffed with ke- 33/4-91-33-65-20. temporary Art and are in the mood for 189 sleek, modern guest rooms and pension or group house where you can bab are ubiquitous in Marseille, but L’Univers alimentaire This shop is Above: La Compagnie de Provence, something a little more underground, suites with flat-screen TVs and Wi-Fi, a meet people from other cultures over for really fresh ones, you have to go piled high with bags of spices, dates, famous for its savon de Marseille. head straight for this gallery. Founded fully equipped fitness center, a gourmet a cup of coffee in the kitchen. From to Cèdre, an authentic Lebanese dried fruits, rice, semolina, mint tea, Opposite, top: Casual cool at the by the urban design group Bureau des restaurant and a heated pool with stun- €23.90 per person for a shared room boulangerie. They bake theirs every harissa, rosewater and clarified butter. Caves de l’abbaye wine shop. Compétences et des Désirs, it features ning harbor views. Doubles from €165. (4 to 6 people) to €60 for a deluxe morning between 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 Everything needed to stock a Maghré- Opposite, bottom: The edgy Galerie edgy installations and photography 38-40 quai de Rive Neuve, 7e; Tel. 1-800/ room. 42 rue des Petites Maries, 1er; A.M. 70 centimes for a package of bin pantry can be found here—even of Marseille. and video exhibits. The artists hail from 333-3333; marseille.radissonsas.com. Tel. 33/4-91-91-07-11; hotelvertigo.fr.

44 France • summer 2008 France • summer 2008 45